When Chatbots Are Used to Plan Violence, Is There a Duty to Warn?
People are revealing sensitive personal information to A.I. chatbots — including plans to commit violent acts.
Science/Tech
The A.I. Videos on Kids’ Youtube Feeds
The YouTube algorithm is pushing bizarre, often nonsensical A.I.-generated videos targeting children. Our video journalist Arijeta Lajka explains why experts say that these videos could affect their cognitive development, and how parents can identify this type of content.
A deafening nuclear fusion reactor: why you wouldn’t want to hear the sun
Sunrise is a majestic spectacle – but we should be grateful for the miles of vacuum between us and the star
Dawn on a still morning is a majestic spectacle, as sunlight spills silently across the landscape and the Earth gradually emerges from darkness. Sunrise has inspired countless pieces of music striving to express this soundless experience in audible form. But if we could actually hear the...
A.I. Dating Apps Complicate China’s Efforts to Boost Birthrate
As China grapples with a shrinking population and historically low birthrate, people are finding romance with chatbots instead.
Can degrowth save the climate? – podcast
Since the 1960s, global GDP has been rapidly rising and living standards have reached record highs. But something else has been rocketing up too – carbon emissions. For years, scientists and economists have been asking: is it possible to grow without heating and polluting the Earth? And as the climate becomes more unstable, the issue is only becoming more urgent. Madeleine Finlay hears from...
Lawmakers Ask Tech Companies What User Data They Provided to D.H.S.
The requests followed Times reporting that the Department of Homeland Security had sent Meta and other companies subpoenas for information on accounts that track or comment on ICE.
Chip giant Nvidia defies AI concerns with record $215bn revenue
Demand for Nvidia chips rose even as the company sets out to create AI products of its own.
Nvidia’s Quarterly Profit Hits $43 Billion on Strong A.I. Chips Sales
Total profit for the fiscal year was $120 billion, the company said. Three years ago, it was just $4.4 billion.
Tropical plants flowering months earlier or later because of climate crisis – study
Changes threaten ecosystems as flowering falls out of sync with fruit-eating, seed-dispersing animals and pollinators
Tropical flowers are blooming months earlier or later than they used to because of climate breakdown, with potentially “cascading impacts across ecosystems”, according to a study of 8,000 plants dating back 200 years.
Researchers looked at flowers from a range of countries,...
Toxic waste from screens ends up in endangered dolphins, study finds
Gene-altering chemicals found in humpback dolphins and finless porpoises, raising alarm they may end up in human food chain
Toxic e-waste chemicals from television, computer and smartphone screens have been found in the brains and bodies of endangered dolphins and porpoises in the South China Sea.
Research published in Environmental Science & Technology detected significant levels of...
Ayahuasca psychedelic DMT shows promise as depression therapy
Study finds participants saw reduction in depressive symptoms as researchers welcome ‘promising’ results
A phase II clinical trial has found dimethyltryptamine (DMT), one of the psychoactive components traditionally used in the Amazonian psychedelic ritual ayahuasca, might be a promising therapy for depression.
The psychedelic pharmaceutical company Small Pharma (now Cybin UK) sponsored and...
Not even potholes will hold up self-driving cars, UK firm predicts
Wayve says it’s confident all cars will one day be autonomous, as it announced more than a £1bn in additional investment.
Gucci criticised for ‘AI slop’ images ahead of major fashion show
Users of social media – where the marketing campaign has been launched – say it is out of keeping with Gucci’s reputation for luxury.
Podcasts? TV Talk Shows? Netflix Just Hopes They’re Hits.
The podcasts in the streamer’s debut crop, including “The Pete Davidson Show,” have revived metaphysical questions about the definition of the medium.
Can A.I. Detection Tools Really Spot Fake Images and Videos?
Artificial intelligence detectors are increasingly used to check the veracity of content online. We ran more than 1,000 tests and found several strengths and plenty of weaknesses.
The rise of rejection sensitive dysphoria: ‘My chest feels like it’s collapsing’
It makes rejection, teasing or criticism feel unbearable, often prompting a strong physical reaction. Sufferers describe life with a condition that is only just starting to be understood
Jenna Turnbull’s chest is tightening. The 36-year-old civil servant, who lives in Cardiff, can picture herself as she speaks: an 11-year-old in her PE kit waiting with the other kids for her lesson to start....
How ancient Scottish rocks throw ‘snowball Earth’ theory up in the air
Researchers discover rare periods of a few thousands years when climate unexpectedly awoke from slumber
During the ”snowball Earth” period about 700m years ago, Earth’s climate shut down. The planet was encased in ice and insulated from seasonal variations: spring, summer, autumn and winter all stopped. Or at least that was the theory.
Recent examination of some ancient rocks from the west...
Wayve, an A.I. Driverless Car Start-Up in Europe, Raises $1.2 Billion
The London-based company is building a system that uses artificial intelligence to power autonomous vehicles.
Pentagon Gives A.I. Company an Ultimatum
Anthropic insists on limits on how its technology is used and could be labeled a supply chain risk if it fails to accept the military’s demands.
Discord delays age verification plans after user outcry
Users were unhappy about plans for age verification to require facial or ID scans.
Senator Blumenthal Opens Inquiry Into Iran Transactions on Binance
Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut sent a letter to Binance asking about the flow of $1.7 billion from accounts on the crypto exchange to Iranian entities.